WhatCar? launches 'True MPG' to give consumers 'real world' data on fuel consumption and emissions
Fri 27 April 2012
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WhatCar? has launched a database on its website which it says provides car buyers with customisable, real-life fuel economy data which they can expect to achieve on British roads. The data published shows that real-world fuel economy is in virtually all cases significantly lower than published data which is base on test-cycle analysis.
At its launch event WhatCar? published data for more than 60 cars which were driven on a variety of roads, ranging from motorways to urban environments, rather than in a laboratory environment. In every case, the engineers driving the cars failed to achieve the fuel economy claimed by official data.
What Car?, which has launched TrueMPG in association with Tesco, said its tests provided more realistic fuel economy results than official data.
The BBC quoted Norman Baker, local transport minister, who said: "I welcome What Car?'s initiative to provide supplementary information to help consumers estimate fuel economy for their specific driving conditions."
However, he was not prepared to accept that the government overstated the fuel consumption of cars.
"The official test provides an indication of the relative fuel economy of different cars, but is not the whole picture," he said.
The monitoring equipment fitted to the cars for which data has been released also measured factors such as engine temperature and humidity. The tests found that some cars delivered fuel economy relatively close to official figures, while others were far removed.
Norman Baker also pointed out that In reality, however, much of a car's fuel economy is delivered by its driver. He said (quoted by the BBC):
"Naturally, fuel consumption varies greatly depending on driving conditions, as well as the way the car is driven. No single test can represent the fuel consumption individual drivers will experience on the road."
The What Car? calculator attempts to factor in different driving styles to help drivers work out how much money they are spending on fuel.
WhatCar's Editor-in-Chief, Chas Hallett is not calling for official tests to be abolished. The two different methods to measure fuel economy can coexist, he said.
NB The discrepancy between test-cycle and 'real world' emissions will be the subject of a dedicated session at the LowCVP's Conference on May 10. Speakers include Chas Hallett, Editor-in-Chief, WhatCar? and Peter Mock of the ICCT which has just issued a report showing a growing discrepancy between emissions data based on tests and in typical road conditions. (See related story.) For more about the LowCVP Conference, click here.
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